


Neophyte - Regrets

by cutsycat



Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1374]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 04:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20687183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/pseuds/cutsycat
Summary: Tony regrets suggesting they hire McGee.





	Neophyte - Regrets

**Author's Note:**

> Another dictionary.com word of the day drabble. This time from 02/03/2003 for the word [neophyte](http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2003/02/03/neophyte).
> 
> neophyte[ nee-uh-fahyt ]  
noun  
a beginner or novice:  
He's a neophyte at chess.  
Roman Catholic Church. a novice.  
a person newly converted to a belief, as a heathen, heretic, or nonbeliever; proselyte.  
Primitive Church. a person newly baptized.
> 
> This is for Prompt #2 of the May 2019 Five Prompts Challenge located [here](https://ncis-discuss.livejournal.com/195650.html).

Tony was beginning to regret suggesting they hire McGee to their team. The guy was a complete neophyte, but he thought he knew everything. It was really annoying. 

Tony had to admit the guy was better with computers than him. But being good or even amazing with computers didn't mean one knew everything. Tony had taken to playing pranks on the guy as McGee clearly didn't suspect such things as a way to show him that he didn't know everything.

Tony didn't think it was making much difference, however. It mostly seemed to annoy McGee and did very little to improve the guy's awareness of his surroundings. This case was particularly bad, McGee was completely missing the obvious clues that pointed to the murderer because that particular person was good with computers.

Needing the autopsy results anyway, Tony headed down to Ducky. Ducky was alone when he arrived and Tony couldn't help asking Ducky's advice on the situation. It was his job to train McGee and he felt like he was failing. 

"People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. Isaac Asimov said that. Perhaps it pertains to your situation," Ducky murmured.

Tony contemplated that as he returned with the autopsy results for Gibbs. Did he think he knew everything? Is that why McGee's attitude bothered him? Or did he simply know more about this subject and that's why McGee's dismissal of his knowledge stung? Tony wasn’t sure. He knew he would be thinking about this for a long time after this case was finished.

They finally had everything they needed to bring in the computer guy to interrogation. Tony watched McGee closely as they watched from the observation room. He wondered if McGee had realized the guy was guilty or if he thought Tony and Gibbs were putting one over on him.

McGee stayed quiet during the interrogation as Gibbs got the guy to confess. Tony wasn’t sure if McGee realized that the guy did it or what was going through McGee’s head, right now. Tony tried to start a conversation as they headed back to the bullpen, but McGee remained silent. 

Tony let him be for now. Everyone wrapped up the paperwork and then went home. Tony’s thoughts were heavy as he thought about Ducky’s words. He knew he projected an image of frat boy knows everything and now he was wondering if he’d been working too hard on making that image. 

Still just because he needed to make some changes, didn’t mean McGee didn’t need to as well. Fortunately, it seemed like McGee got it. Tony tried to tone down the frat boy image gradually, though it must not have worked because his teammates were still shocked when he became ultra-serious. Still even if his teammates didn’t see it, Tony was more aware of the pitfalls of thinking you know everything now.

**Author's Note:**

> The dictionary.com series has no stories already written for it after this one, so I will be posting at least zero more stories before I stop posting again. I'm hoping to get more stories written before then, so that I don't stop posting for a while. Wish me luck! 
> 
> It's 2019 now and I have closed my 2018 Prompt collection, but fear not my 2019 Prompt Collection is now open [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2019/profile). Just click the sign up link. ;) It will remain open until the beginning of 2020. I'm hoping to complete all the 2019 prompts by the end of 2020. Do not fear I have not forgotten about the 2018 prompts and will continue working through them. It's just easier for me to not get overwhelmed if I keep the prompts separated by the year they were given to me.
> 
> If you are not an ao3 member, you can prompt me [here](http://cutsycat.livejournal.com/50701.html). Please follow the same rules as are listed in the above link. However, because this is a handmade prompt form(that thinks it's a poll), it is considerably more limited than what ao3 provides, so please use the ao3 form if you're an ao3 member. Please note the name option is for a name that I can say this is for so that you know it's for you. Since this is for non ao3 members it won't be true gifts, but you will be mentioned in the notes. Please note if you have already voted in the poll and would like to request more stories you can just add a comment to the poll. Please include the name along with the prompt, so that I can appropriately gift the prompt to you.
> 
> For any authors that want to chat and/or are looking for a place where they can toss plot ideas around and get input from people, you can come join my discord server that is specifically geared towards writing/encouraging people to write and authors. The invite link is [here](https://discord.gg/HFvwpCq). If you're not an author, but want to chat with me about writing/stories or anything else you are welcome to join. I reserve the right to boot you from my server if all you do is pester me about updates, however. *grin* Really anyone who wants to talk about writing and/or plot ideas for various stories is welcome to join. 
> 
> Also, Drakonyashka has translated a couple of my works into Russian. [Tutelage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378780) and [Imbue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378840). Go support them. 


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